Alumnus honored for contributions to state economy

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B. Thomas Mancuso '78

B. Thomas Mancuso, a 1978 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, is one of 23 people honored by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities at the 2010 Independent Sector Alumni Hall of Distinction Awards Ceremony.

The honorees were selected for their contributions to New York state’s economy by members of the Board of Trustees of the CICU.

Mancuso is president and CEO of Mancuso Business Development Group in Batavia, N.Y. A lifelong resident of Batavia, he joined Mancuso Management as an industrial real estate broker in 1980. He became full-time manager at the Batavia Industrial Center (BIC) and president of the company in 1990. He expanded business development operations and Mancuso Business Development Group now manages almost 3 million square feet of industrial and office properties across Western and Central New York state. The properties include four business incubator facilities – the BIC in Batavia, Geneva Enterprise Development Center in Geneva, the High Falls Business Center in Rochester and Harrison Place in Lockport.

“Our process of recycling empty or under-utilized industrial buildings has filled millions of square feet of property to the benefit of thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses,” he says. “The businesses that have graduated from the BIC in Batavia now occupy buildings in the community (bought or built) that represent more than $25 million in assessed valuation and employ more than a thousand people.”

Mancuso became a trustee of Lockport Savings Bank, which evolved into the publicly traded First Niagara Bank and grew to almost $10 billion in assets while he was involved. He is active in numerous professional organizations, including the National Business Incubator Association and the Society of Industrial & Office Realtors. He continues his connection with RIT as a mentor to students and through the Capstone Program in the E. Philip Saunders College of Business.

The Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities created the Alumni Hall of Distinction in 2000 to salute graduates who have made extraordinary contributions to the state through their careers and community involvement. The Alumni Hall of Distinction awards ceremony March 1 was part of organization’s 54th Annual Meeting for college and university presidents.